A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 46

Chapter 46   The Two Who Were Abandoned

“…How bad are your injuries?”

“It’s not too bad, really. Just a couple of broken ribs.”

“That’s bad enough.”

Broken ribs? She could’ve easily died from that. If whatever caused her ribs to break had hit her head or neck instead, it might’ve been fatal. This isn’t something to laugh off.

“It’s nothing serious, really. I’ve had injuries like this a few times since I was a kid, and it’s not like I’m going to die or anything.”

But Toko just laughed it off like it was no big deal.

Broken ribs are a regular occurrence for her? What kind of life has she been living? And what kind of parents allow this?

“Seiichi, why are you staring at my chest?”

When she mentioned her broken ribs, I instinctively looked at her chest, but, yeah, staring at a girl’s chest is definitely a bad look.

“Uh, no, it’s not like that…”

“Pfft. I know, I know. You’re worried about me, right? Seriously, thanks.”

She smiled at me, but then her smile faded, becoming more melancholic.

“But, you know, I’m really glad you came. No one else has visited me, and honestly, I’ve been feeling super down.”

“No one’s come to see you?”

“Yeah, you know how my parents are.”

“…Yeah.”

Right. I had almost forgotten about that. Toko’s family is that kind of family. Normally, parents would visit their hospitalized daughter, but with the Hoshiguma family, it makes sense they didn’t even bother.

“They probably think a failure like me isn’t worth visiting. And honestly, I get it. Losing to someone like that is just pathetic.”

Toko laughed again, but this time, it seemed forced, like she was putting on a brave face.

“And my ‘friends’ are just for show. Maybe they’ll stop by after school just out of obligation? Probably just once, and for a quick visit at that. No one’s skipping school like you did.”

Well, if her “friends” are just for appearances, it makes sense they wouldn’t go out of their way to visit her. I get that, but still… something feels off. Toko seems way more cynical than usual today.

They say being sick makes people feel vulnerable, and maybe that’s what’s going on here.

Her parents haven’t come, her friends haven’t come, and she’s left alone in the hospital. On top of that, the reason she’s here is because of her own perceived lack of strength. She’s always wanted to get stronger, and just when she had resolved to do so, she ended up hospitalized due to her weakness. In a situation like this, anyone’s spirit would take a hit.

But accepting defeat like this? That’s not okay. No way. Toko has been working hard, and I know that. There’s no way I can just sit back and accept that all her efforts have gone to waste.

“—Damn, nothing good here.”

“Huh? What are you looking for?”

Toko gave me a puzzled look as she watched me suddenly rummage through my pockets.

“Well, since I’m here, I thought I’d give you something besides the donuts I brought, but all I’ve got is my wallet and phone.”

No matter what I say, it’s not going to reach Toko right now. Given the situation, I understand that. But I wanted to leave something behind—something she could look at and remember. Even if it doesn’t help now, maybe later, she could realize that someone is cheering for her. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything meaningful to give.

“It’s fine, really. You didn’t need to worry so much. Just coming here is enough—thanks a lot. But why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”

“Because it’s not like you.”

“Not like me? How so?”

“Yeah. The usual you wouldn’t let anyone see you down like this. Then again, I only know a small part of you, so maybe I’ve only ever seen the surface. But still, something feels off today.”

She’s smiling now, but it’s clearly a forced smile. Even in our short time knowing each other, I can tell that much.

“I get why, though. Your parents have abandoned you, and you don’t have any friends to rely on, so being stuck here alone makes sense. But that’s just sad, isn’t it?”

“…”

Her smile vanished, replaced by a pained expression as she bit her lip, holding back something she wanted to say.

I get it. Even if I know a bit about her situation, it’s just surface-level knowledge from some casual research. I haven’t experienced it firsthand. It’s only natural for her to think, Don’t talk about my life when you don’t understand.

But still, it’s not completely wrong. I might not understand everything, but there are parts of her struggle that I can relate to.

Sure, I wasn’t born into the Hoshiguma family, and I haven’t known Toko since childhood. I don’t fully understand her.

But even so, I get it to some degree. Because I… we were abandoned by our parents, too.

“I had parents once, too. But they abandoned us.”

“What…”

Toko looked at me, shocked by my sudden admission, but I ignored her reaction and kept talking.

“Inori’s a ‘Blessed,’ right? Our parents couldn’t accept that. Legally, they’re still our parents, but the last time they acted like it was a long time ago. Ever since Inori became a ‘Blessed,’ we stopped being a family. From that day on, Inori was the only family I had.”

After that day, the day of the accident that made us ‘Blessed,’ everything changed for our family.

Of course, our parents were happy their daughter had survived an incident that should’ve killed her. But at the same time, they couldn’t accept that she wasn’t really their daughter anymore. They started distancing themselves from Inori and, by extension, me, since I continued to treat Inori as a precious family member.

Now, they’ve practically abandoned their roles as parents. They hardly ever see us, and we only get maybe one phone call a year. Even then, the conversation is strictly business, just the bare minimum of what’s necessary.

That day, when we were still just elementary school kids, our parents abandoned us.

“But even after all that, we’ve made it this far. So you don’t need to be so cynical. Life’s fun, even without parents.”

At first, I wanted them back. I would go out of my way to drag them home, staying up late, hoping they’d come back.

But in the end, nothing changed.

“The choice I was given was simple: either abandon my sister and live with my ‘family’ or give up on my parents and make my sister my ‘family.’ Those were the only two options.

In the end, our ‘family’ was reduced to just the two of us.

Even so, we’ve made it this far and kept smiling. Besides, we’re in high school now, right? We can live how we want, with or without parents.”

“…You’re only saying that because you’re not alone.”

Toko mumbled, still frowning despite hearing my story. Well, she wasn’t wrong.

“It’s true, I had Inori. I had someone who cared if something happened to me. So no, we’re not exactly in the same situation. But from now on, I’ll be the one worrying about you. We may not be ‘family,’ but we’re ‘friends,’ right?”

It’s not just family that can be a pillar of support. You can find that role outside—friends, lovers, even pets or idols, or maybe religion.

Anything can work. But since we’re friends, it’s only right to lend a hand when a friend is in trouble, isn’t it?

At the very least, I’m not the kind of person who’d leave a friend feeling down and ignore them. So, let me help you…

“…You said you were going to give me something earlier, right? How about you give it to me after I’m discharged? The food here is so bland, I want to eat something better.”

For some reason, after hearing my words, Toko let out a small sigh and smiled, though this time it wasn’t a forced one. It seems she’s decided to lean on a ‘friend’ a little.

“That’s all you want? I mean, sure, if it’s to celebrate your discharge, that works. But won’t that overlap with the actual discharge gift?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just treat me to a meal once, and that’s enough.”

“Got it. Then make sure to get better soon.”

I didn’t want to tire her out or make her feel worse. Since she seemed to be in better spirits, I figured it was a good time to leave.

As I stood up, though, her next words froze me in place.

“Alright, I’ll be looking forward to our date once I’m out~.”

“Yeah. …Wait, a date?”

A date… with Toko and me? But we’re not dating, right?

“If a guy and a girl go out to eat, it’s a date.”

“Well… that’s true.”

Technically, it could be considered a date. But what’s the right way to interpret this situation?

Oh well, as long as she’s feeling better, that’s what matters.

“Don’t tell me you’re backing out now? If you do, I’ll be super disappointed.”

“No, no, it’s fine. Alright then, a date it is. Looking forward to it.”

“Great! I’m gonna be super pumped for it, maybe even try to turn it into something more.”

“First, just focus on getting better. It’s fine to have fun, but you can’t do anything until you’re healed.”

I’m fine with it being a ‘date’ and all, and she can be as excited as she wants, but I just want her to get better and leave the hospital soon.

“Alright, I’ll head out now.”

“Thanks for coming, see you~.”

With a bright smile completely opposite to how she’d greeted me earlier, Toko waved as I left the room. I waved back and walked out, feeling relieved.